Hunt’s Pond on the chopping block; Bowman safe
CHENANGO COUNTY – One of Chenango’s two state parks is included on the list of 41 New York parks and 14 historic sites slated for closure as a result of Governor David Paterson’s efforts to reduce spending and close the state’s $8.2 billion deficit.
According to a statement issued Friday by the governor and the state’s parks commissioner, New Berlin’s 250-acre Hunt’s Pond State Park is one of eight parks to be closed in New York’s Central Region.
“These actions are not recommended lightly, but they are necessary to address our state’s extraordinary fiscal difficulties,” reported Commissioner Carol Ash, who explained that the closures and reductions were needed in order for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to meet its “savings target.”
Also slated for closure in the Central Region are Chittenango Falls and Helen McNitt State Parks in Madison County; Oquaga Creek State Park in Broome County; Clark Reservation and Old Erie Canal State Parks in Onondaga County; Pixley Falls State Park in Oneida County; and Robert Riddell State Park in Delaware County. In addition, services would also be reduced at Oswego County’s Selkirk Shores State Park under the plan, and three of the region’s seven historic sites would be closed.
The region’s other 11 parks, including the 660-acre Bowman Lake State Park in Oxford, are to remain open.
In addition to the proposed closures and service reductions, Paterson’s plan also includes as-yet-to-be determined fee increases, expected to generate an additional $4 million in revenue. The governor also intends to use some $5 million from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund to help finance the agency.
“In an environment when we have to cut funding to schools, hospitals, nursing homes and social services, no area of state spending, including parks and historic sites, could be exempt from reductions,” Paterson said in the press statement.
“Going forward through the budget process, I look forward to a productive dialog with the Legislature on parks and historic sites, as well as other issues.”
According to Chenango County Director of Tourism Audrey Robinson, the proposed closures come at a time when camping trends are on the rise.
“More and more families are doing it,” she reported, a trend which industry experts link to the recession.
Robinson, who learned of the impending closure this morning, said she was unsure of what the direct impact would be on Chenango County.
New Berlin Town Supervisor Ross Iannello said that during the summer months, the park is frequented by local residents and visitors from outside of the area who fish and camp.
According to a statement issued Friday by the governor and the state’s parks commissioner, New Berlin’s 250-acre Hunt’s Pond State Park is one of eight parks to be closed in New York’s Central Region.
“These actions are not recommended lightly, but they are necessary to address our state’s extraordinary fiscal difficulties,” reported Commissioner Carol Ash, who explained that the closures and reductions were needed in order for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to meet its “savings target.”
Also slated for closure in the Central Region are Chittenango Falls and Helen McNitt State Parks in Madison County; Oquaga Creek State Park in Broome County; Clark Reservation and Old Erie Canal State Parks in Onondaga County; Pixley Falls State Park in Oneida County; and Robert Riddell State Park in Delaware County. In addition, services would also be reduced at Oswego County’s Selkirk Shores State Park under the plan, and three of the region’s seven historic sites would be closed.
The region’s other 11 parks, including the 660-acre Bowman Lake State Park in Oxford, are to remain open.
In addition to the proposed closures and service reductions, Paterson’s plan also includes as-yet-to-be determined fee increases, expected to generate an additional $4 million in revenue. The governor also intends to use some $5 million from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund to help finance the agency.
“In an environment when we have to cut funding to schools, hospitals, nursing homes and social services, no area of state spending, including parks and historic sites, could be exempt from reductions,” Paterson said in the press statement.
“Going forward through the budget process, I look forward to a productive dialog with the Legislature on parks and historic sites, as well as other issues.”
According to Chenango County Director of Tourism Audrey Robinson, the proposed closures come at a time when camping trends are on the rise.
“More and more families are doing it,” she reported, a trend which industry experts link to the recession.
Robinson, who learned of the impending closure this morning, said she was unsure of what the direct impact would be on Chenango County.
New Berlin Town Supervisor Ross Iannello said that during the summer months, the park is frequented by local residents and visitors from outside of the area who fish and camp.
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